Washington, D.C. —Today, the Republican-led House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries will consider legislation that would dramatically weaken the widely popular Endangered Species Act (ESA) and strip protections for gray wolves in 48 states.

The first bill — the “ESA Amendments Act of 2025” — would gut the critical protections that the ESA provides for thousands of imperiled species, upend the scientific consultation process (which has been the cornerstone of American species protection for 50 years), slow listings to a crawl while fast-tracking delistings, and allow much more exploitation of threatened species and shift their management out of federal hands to the states, even while they are still nationally listed. 

The second bill — the so-called “Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025″ — would reissue the first Trump administration’s delisting of the gray wolf across most of the U.S. and bar judicial review of that action. In 2022, a federal court reversed this delisting, after conservation groups challenged it.

In addition to the Republican-led Congressional attacks on the ESA and gray wolves, the Trump administration recently terminated hundreds of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees — nearly 5 percent of the agency’s workforce — which is already critically understaffed. Without those employees, it will be even harder for disappearing vulnerable species to receive crucial protections, and for vitally important ecosystems across the U.S. to remain intact.  

In response to attempts to undermine the ESA and delist gray wolves, organizations from across the country sent a letter to HNR leadership outlining opposition to the bills. Additionally, groups from the Endangered Species Coalition issued the following statements:

“These attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act, or to go around it by picking off species like the gray wolf, represent a fundamental disconnect between a small number of legislators and millions of Americans,” said Earthjustice legislative director for lands, wildlife, and oceans Addie Haughey. “The ESA — and the iconic species it protects — enjoys immense support across the political spectrum. If these bills move forward, Congress will be acting against popular will and ignoring science to sacrifice the wildlife we love and the ecosystems we rely on.”

“Congressman Westerman’s bill would eviscerate the Endangered Species Act and push imperiled species to extinction,” said Ellen Richmond, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “The Endangered Species Act is the backstop for our nation’s wildlife already at the brink of extinction and this bill would sanction their swift descent into nothingness. We urge our representatives in Congress to listen to the American public’s overwhelming support for the Endangered Species Act and reject this disastrous bill which does nothing to strengthen wildlife protections and instead reverses decades of conservation success.”

“We are in a biodiversity crisis, and Congress is playing with fire. These bills would accelerate extinction at a time when we can least afford it,” said Josh Osher, public policy director for Western Watersheds Project. “The Endangered Species Act isn’t just about saving wolves, grizzlies, or sea turtles—it’s about protecting the ecosystems that sustain us all. Weakening these protections pushes our planet further into collapse. Congress must open its eyes and reject these reckless attacks before it’s too late.”

“These extreme bills would gut protections for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. They are being introduced against a backdrop of sudden and indiscriminate firings across the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, robbing these agencies of the experts who implement these crucial protections based on the best available science,” said Susan Millward, executive director and chief executive officer for the Animal Welfare Institute. “These assaults on wildlife protections come at a time of staggering biodiversity loss, and imperiled species don’t have the luxury of waiting out these political games.”

“Extinction is forever,” says Katherine Miller, Country Director for FOUR PAWS USA. ” If we allow the protections afforded by the ESA to be weakened and undermined by legislation like this, the consequences of these decisions will reverberate for generations. The ESA protects both iconic native species like Bald eagles and non-native species like Bengal tigers. It has also protected millions of acres of habitat, ensuring a livable planet for all of us.”

“The ESA Amendments Act of 2025, introduced by Representative Westerman, is severely out of step with how most Americans view and support wildlife protection. It prioritizes big industry and special interests ahead of decades-long, science-based protections that work,” said Chris Allieri, executive director and founder, NYC Plover Project. “Radicals in Congress are fast-tracking extinction and looking to severely weaken, if not entirely remove, bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.” 

“The Endangered Species Act is one of the country’s most popular and successful conservation laws, and Donald Trump wants to throw it in the garbage to pad the bottom lines of his corporate supporters,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “Since Day One of his administration, Trump has shown again and again that he wants to hand over control of our public lands and waters to billionaires and corporations. Imperiled wildlife will suffer the consequences. For more than 50 years, the United States has made amazing progress bringing species back from the brink of extinction. It’s because of the ESA that species like the grizzly bear and bald eagle are living symbols of America and not just photos in a history book. If Trump and his allies in Congress get their way, that progress won’t just come to a screeching halt – it could be completely reversed.”

“For decades, the Endangered Species Act has been a critical lifeline in preventing the irreversible loss of our nation’s wildlife. Legislation like H.R. 845 and H.R. 1897 would undermine this powerful tool against extinction and jeopardize ongoing recovery efforts of our iconic native species, like the gray wolf.” said Jennifer Eskra, Director of Legislative Affairs at Humane World Action Fund “At a time of growing biodiversity loss, it is essential that legislators prioritize science over politics and stand with the millions of Americans who support the ESA.”

“The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most respected and successful conservation laws. Unfortunately, Representative Westerman’s ESA amendments are crafted for greedy billionaires clinging to a 19th-century vision of plundering the planet,” said Endangered Species Coalition National Policy Director Jewel Tomasula. “This bill would devastate the sea turtles people love to see at the beach, the bumblebees that pollinate our food crops, and the spotted owls that indicate healthy forests. This bill would destroy wildlife and wild places, not protect them.”

“These reckless attacks on the Endangered Species Act and gray wolves are nothing more than a giveaway to industry at the expense of our nation’s most imperiled wildlife,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “Gutting protections for species on the brink of extinction is not reform—it’s a death sentence. Americans overwhelmingly support the ESA because it works, and we urge our representatives in Congress not to stand by while Trump and his allies try to dismantle one of our most effective conservation laws.”

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Former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Grizzly Coordinator updates his own 30-year-old Recovery Plan 

Media Contact:

Maggie Caldwell, 347-527-6397, mcaldwell@earthjustice.org

Washington, D.C. – Today 15 national, regional and state environmental, tribal, and animal welfare groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to adopt a new approach to recovering grizzly bears in the U.S. Northern Rockies, pointing to a new science-based report by Dr. Christopher Servheen, the former USFWS Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator (1981-2016). The petition comes about a month ahead of the USFWS’ deadline to make a decision on delisting the bears. 

Earthjustice drafted the petition which asks the Service to update its Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan to incorporate the points raised in Dr. Servheen’s new report, which details site-specific management actions to aid in the bears’ recovery. Dr. Servheen led the team that wrote the existing recovery plan for grizzly bears in 1993, and is now calling for this work to be updated with the best available science and latest conservation practices. Dr. Servheen says the new management approach would give bears a chance at a durable recovery. 

“The grizzly bears in the Northern U.S. Rockies live in only 4% of their former range in the lower 48 states,” said Dr. Christopher Servheen. “Grizzly presence is part of what makes this part of America so special. We should choose a careful management approach that will assure the future for these magnificent animals because they are an important part of the heritage of the American West.” 

The petition and recovery plan updates come during a record-breaking deadly year for grizzlies. Seventy-three grizzly bears have been killed in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem alone. Throughout the U.S. Northern Rockies, at least 90 grizzly bears have died this year due to human causes. In his paper, Dr. Servheen highlights a number of mounting threats to grizzlies, including: 

• Increased human development and encroachment into grizzly territory;
• New state laws and policies that are lethal to grizzlies and other carnivores;
• The ongoing harms from climate change on grizzly bears and their habitats; 
• Other land uses that are bringing grizzlies into more contact with humans and livestock. 

Dr. Servheen’s proposed updates to the 1993 Recovery Plan include the following revisions:

• A switch from management of the Northern Rockies bears in five distinct and isolated populations to a single, interconnected metapopulation of grizzlies across the region;
• New protections for grizzlies against potentially lethal human activities;
• Protections for grizzly habitat and careful mortality management in connectivity areas between ecosystems;
• Policies that reduce human/bear conflicts through increasing resources and assistance for communities;
• Reliable commitments from state and federal agencies to maintain grizzly and habitat protections after delisting. 

Earthjustice led the petition effort, submitting it on behalf of the following 14 groups:

• Center for Biological Diversity
• Endangered Species Coalition
• Friends of the Bitterroot
• Friends of the Clearwater
• Great Bear Foundation
• Humane Society of the United States
• Humane Society Legislative Fund
• Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment
• Park County Environmental Council
• Sierra Club
• Western Watersheds Project
• WildEarth Guardians
• Wyoming Wildlife Advocates
• Yaak Valley Forest Council

“Grizzlies need a new vision for recovery that incorporates the latest science and conservation practices,” said Mary Cochenour, senior attorney in Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies office. “Grizzly bears have not achieved recovery under the old 1993 plan because it could not have anticipated the level of modern-day human encroachment in grizzly habitat, nor did the 1993 plan foresee the recent enactment of state and federal regulations and policy that continue to undermine recovery efforts.” 

Reporter Resource:

• Published report and petition available here: https://earthjustice.org/grizzly

Petitioners’ Statements

“The science clearly shows that the Fish and Wildlife Service’s management of grizzly bears in fragmented, isolated populations won’t lead to long-term and sustainable recovery, so we have to be bolder and do better. We need to protect grizzly habitat and connectivity corridors to bridge isolated populations and ensure that these bears survive for generations to come.” – Andrea Zaccardi, Carnivore Conservation Legal Director, Center for Biological Diversity. 

“Grizzlies are not just a symbol of our Western heritage; they are a keystone species that plays a critical role in maintaining the health of ecosystems. Now is the time for a new, science-based recovery plan that will connect isolated populations and support people coexisting with grizzlies.” – Susan Holmes, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition  

“After a few decades of implementing the old recovery plan, the Fish and Wildlife Service has accomplished practically nothing for the grizzly population in the Bitterroot Recovery Zone. Grizzly bears deserve a new plan, something that provides real habitat security so their population can sustain.” –Jeff Juel, Forest Policy Director, Friends of the Clearwater

“With advances in our understanding of grizzly bear population dynamics and how people and bears can coexist for the benefit of both species, the time is ripe to update the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan to reflect the best available science. Grizzlies are a critical part of a healthy, connected landscape, and this petition gives the Lower 48 populations the best shot at recovering in a meaningful and sustainable way. Grizzly bears belong on this landscape—we want to make sure they continue to exist now and into the future.” – Shannon Donahue, Executive Director, Great Bear Foundation

“Grizzly bears, valuable symbols of wildness, must be conserved for future generations. We know that Americans overwhelmingly support safeguarding grizzly bears from cruelty, including by trophy hunters. Because extinction is forever, we must prioritize science over politics. It can take 10 years for one grizzly mother to replace herself in a population. It’s time for decision makers to heed the call to ensure these iconic animals thrive, not vanish.” – Wendy Keefover, Senior Strategist of Native Carnivore Protection, Humane Society of the United States

“For years, HSLF has fought for grizzly bears by pressing the federal government to uphold protections for this irreplaceable species. A more than 30-year-old recovery plan could not have accounted for the imminent threats facing grizzly bears today, including trophy hunting, human development and undue political pressures. It is long overdue that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service updates this outdated plan to protect grizzlies for decades to come.” – Brianna DelDuca, Regulatory Specialist, Humane Society Legislative Fund

“As a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and the coordinator of our Nez Perce Tribal member-run non-profit, I and our board believe that protections for grizzly bears should and need to continue. As our people (Nimiipuu) and grizzlies and other species have lived together in our Treaty area and beyond with little harm to either, we now see how the migration westward and introduction of cattle and development of habitat critical to grizzly bears has negatively impacted this critical species. As the grizzly is part of our history, culture and ceremonies we support the further protection of grizzlies.” – Julian Matthews, Board Member & Coordinator, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment

“This petition recognizes that we need to have a real recovery of grizzly bears, not delisting that would open them up to large-scale killing and reverse decades of conservation work. The science is clear that we need a healthy population of grizzly bears throughout these public lands in the Northern Rockies to achieve a sustained recovery. Grizzly bears are so sensitive to mortality that delisting could very well be their demise. Now is the time to strengthen protections for this iconic species, not put a target on them.” – Ben Greuel, National Wildlife Campaign Manager, Sierra Club

“We must approach the grizzly bear with humility; afterall, being in their presence is a humbling experience. In Park County, situated in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem, we have an intimate relationship with grizzly bears. We have been able to witness their ongoing recovery firsthand. While we have much to celebrate in that regard, we believe there is still more work that needs to be done, like updating the 30-year old recovery plan with the latest scientific findings, and establishing a meta population in the northern Rockies that would truly constitute proof of the grizzly’s recovery.” – Max Hjortsberg, Managing Director, Park County Environmental Council

“Given that our knowledge of grizzly bears has expanded significantly, particularly regarding the importance of habitat connectivity, it is absolutely crucial that recovery planning reflects and incorporates what is now the best and most up-to-date science. With growing anti-predator hostility from states and an alarming uptick in human-caused grizzly deaths – due largely to conflict with livestock –  an update to the 30 year old plan is critical for long-term recovery.”  

– Patrick Kelly, Montana & Washington Director, Western Watersheds Project

“Grizzly bear recovery in the region will fail if they do not have secure habitats for safe passage as they disperse in search of food, dens and mates. Current rules already allow state governments in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to kill grizzly bears, even as they face numerous other threats in the region. As we saw with the tragic vehicular death of bear #399 – arguably the most famous grizzly bear in the world, these bears need more protection, not less.” – Adam Rissien, ReWilding Manager, WildEarth Guardians. “

“Those who are blind to the threats that grizzly bears are facing will say that the goalposts for recovery keep moving. The truth is that science is not static, it’s dynamic. We know a lot more than we did 30 years ago. As conditions change and we collect additional data, our knowledge becomes greater. Conditions in 1993 were vastly different than they are now. Updating the recovery plan should be a priority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before any decisions about recovery are made.” – Kristin Combs, Executive Director, Wyoming Wildlife Advocates 

Additional organizational media contacts:

Andrea Zaccardi, 303-854-7748, azaccardi@biologicaldiversity.org 

Adam Rissien, 406-370-3147, arissien@wildearthguardians.org 

Kristin Combs, 307-413-4116, kristin@wyowild.org

Patrick Kelly, 208-576-4314, patrick@westernwatersheds.org 

Jeff Juel, 509-688-5956, jeffjuel@wildrockies.org

The post ‘Grizzly Bears Not Recovered’ Says Leading Biologist, 15 Regional & National Groups Petition for New Recovery Vision appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Idaho Fish and Game brochure distributed to sport shops ignores grizzly bear protections 

Boise, Idaho—The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) distributed a brochure that misleads the public about a binding legal order limiting recreational wolf trapping in the state’s grizzly bear habitat when the bears are active on the landscape. In March 2024, Federal Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale issued an order prohibiting Idaho from authorizing wolf trapping and snaring in Idaho’s Panhandle, Clearwater, Salmon, and Upper Snake regions between March 1 and November 30 on public and private lands to prevent the unlawful harm or killing of Endangered Species Act-protected grizzly bears. 

The post Idaho Wolf-Trapping Brochure Misleads Public About Judge’s Binding Order  appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

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The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) finished investigating the June 10, 2024 grizzly bear killing on June 18, and announced that the agency had misidentified the species from video, effectively giving the hunter permission to shoot the bear at the bait site. Part of the uncertainty was blamed on the fact that the grizzly was outside of the species’ known range, despite hunters in the Panhandle region being warned by IDFG itself that grizzly encounters are possible. 

“These were exactly the types of tragic grizzly killings we were hoping to avoid through our lawsuit for the federal agencies to consider whether bear baiting should be allowed in grizzly bear habitat,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. “The courts, unfortunately, didn’t see the risks and declined to compel new federal consultation. It’s deeply unfortunate.” 

“Another protected grizzly bear in Idaho has been shot by a hunter at a black bear bait station–it’s so obvious that bear baiting should be banned in national forests,” said Lizzy Pennock, carnivore coexistence attorney at WildEarth Guardians. “IDFG wants to see grizzly bears delisted and claims that they can manage the species. How can they manage grizzly bears if they can’t even identify one?”

“The killing of a threatened grizzly bear at a bait station near St. Maries is tragic on so many levels,” said Dana Johnson, attorney and policy director for Wilderness Watch. “The grizzlies who set out in search of new territory are beacons of hope—they are the bears who will reestablish home ranges in places like the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and help reconnect and recover otherwise isolated and struggling grizzly bear communities. But we keep baiting and killing them. Incidents like this are tragic because they are so utterly preventable. It has to stop, and we’re not going away until it does.”

“Now we are faced with this untenable situation–where baiting for black bears is allowed in grizzly habitat by the state of Idaho and sanctioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the federal courts, with there being no way to hold anyone accountable for this killing of an endangered grizzly as a result,” said Jeff Juel of Friends of the Clearwater. “The State of Idaho says the grizzly bear should be removed from the federal Endangered Species list because they can manage the species, but this incident proves they’re entirely unqualified.”

“Grizzlies deserve safe passage into new habitats, and dispersal is a key aspect of their life cycle,” said Molvar. “A fed bear is a dead bear, and placing bait stations in grizzly habitat to attract black bears opens a Pandora’s box of bad outcomes.”

Media Contacts: 

Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project, (307) 399-7910, emolvar@westernwatersheds.org Lizzy Pennock, WildEarth Guardians, (406) 830-8924, lpennock@wildearthguardians.org
Dana Johnson, Wilderness Watch, (208) 310-7003, danajohnson@wildernesswatch.org
Jeff Juel, Friends of the Clearwater (509) 688-5956  jeffjuel@wildrockies.org

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